This weekend, Barcelona will face Real Madrid for the second leg of this season's Spanish national derby, one of the most watched matches in world football. As the two oldest elite clubs in the world, The match between Barca and Real Madrid is often not only in La Liga, but sometimes on the European stage as well. In recent years, with the transfer and departure of the likes of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, the strength of both teams has declined slightly, especially barcelona. However, the game remains globally appealing and will be watched by hundreds of millions of viewers. On the biggest stage, there are players who have impressed when they first played the Spanish national derby.
Di Stéfano: Barcelona 0-5 Real Madrid, October 1953
Di Stéfano is one of the best players in history and a true legend of Real Madrid. However, sometimes one forgets the controversial way he moved to Real Madrid, as Di Stéfano is actually a player in common with Barcelona and Real Madrid after a deal with Colombian side Milonarios. The Argentine superstar had intended to play for Barca first and then move to Madrid, but after failing to impress in several games for Barcelona, the club decided to sell its share of player ownership to Madrid. This will prove to be a disastrous move as in a few months' national derby debut, Di Stéfano will lead Real Madrid to a 5-0 victory over Barca at Camp Nou and score a hat-trick in this match.
Cruyff: Real Madrid 0-5 Barcelona, February 1974
Like Di Stefano, Cruyff is at the center of some sort of contest between the two La Liga giants. In fact, the legendary Dutchman refused to move to the Spanish capital because the club had ties to dictator Francisco Franco. Cruyff then helped Barcelona win la Liga for the first time in 14 years, and in that season he made an unforgettable debut in the Spanish national derby. At the Bernabeu, Cruyff left Real Madrid suffering on their own turf, with Barca in control from the start – while also subjecting themselves to several delicious tackles from their opponents. When Barca won 5-0, he would mark the match with a well-deserved goal.
Villa: Barcelona 5-0 Real Madrid, November 2010
In November 2010, Guardiola's Barcelona team beat Real Madrid 5-0 at Camp Nou, one of the most memorable national derbys since the turn of the century. Villa was brought in from Valencia after Ibrahimovic's failed transfer and his national derby debut scored two of five goals for the home team. Villa benefited from Messi's two brilliant passes, turning what should have been a match into a one-sided performance by Barca.
Neymar: Barcelona 2-1 Real Madrid, October 2013
There is a theme in our list of players who have links to both Barcelona and Real Madrid before moving to Spain. Barca beat Real Madrid to acquire Neymar in May 2013 and the Brazilian still performed well on the pitch despite the legitimacy of the deal being questioned. It may have taken a while for Neymar to gain a foothold in La Liga, but on stage against the national derby, he helped his new club win the game in his debut. Barca beat Madrid 2-1, with the superstar scoring a goal and providing an assist for the victor to help Sanchez score.
Zidane (as coach): Barcelona 1-2 Real Madrid, April 2016
Away from the players on the pitch, there are a few coaches who also had memorable debuts while conducting the national derby in the rest area. Benitez had just been sacked when Zidane took over from Real Madrid and fans were unhappy with the Spaniard's so-called pragmatic style of play and lack of inspiring results. Zidane coached his first Spanish national derby in April 2016 and inspired Real Madrid to win 2-1 at Camp Nou, although at one point his side had only 10 men to play. Before that match, Barca had gone 36 games unbeaten in a row, and the Ballon d'Or winner used the surface of that victory as an iconic player and a qualified coach.